Loop Guiding, 4-channel electronics and kinetic sculptures

I first came across the term “Loop Guiding” in connection with forest trails and other scenic walks. Maps showing routes with distance and estimated completion time, the peculiarities of the native flora and fauna or historical details, myth or lore of the area. These routes eventually lead you back to the point from which you started, hence the term Loop Guiding.

Musical material that loops back on itself often plays a significant part in my work. Whether that is obvious or veiled in abstraction, it is frequently a technique I employ.

Each performer in Loop Guiding has a map, directing the gestural elements of the piece, eventually leading back to where we started. 

My thanks to Rory Tangney for designing and fabricating the kinetic sculptures used in this work.

Loop Guiding from Jonathan Nangle on Vimeo.